Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 2 (HTLV-2) Provirus in Circulating Cells of the Monocyte/Macrophage Lineage in Patients Dually Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 and HTLV-2 and Having Predominantly Sensory Polyneuropathy

We investigated the presence of human T-lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) DNA in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell subsets obtained from 18 patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and HTLV-2, 6 of whom also had predominantly sensory polyneuropathy (PSP). HTLV-2 DNA and RNA were found in CD8- and CD19-positive cells, and, for patients with PSP, in CD14-positive cells as well. Furthermore, the patients with PSP had higher proviral loads than those without PSP.